Locking Up the Sun
by Astal and Black Mist
Summary: AU/Gajinka: Years ago Dedede's father banished a dangerous man from Popstar. Now he wants revenge and he'll do anything to get it. Meta is a traveler and gets caught up in this battle. What shall happen?
1. Can we be sensible?

Summary~ AU/Gajinka: Years ago Dedede's father banished a dangerous man from Popstar. Now he wants revenge and he'll do anything to get it. Meta is a traveler and gets caught up in this battle. What shall happen?

Locking Up the Sun

**Chapter One~ Can We Be Sensible?**

_1992, December 16, 12:00 PM, Dedede's Castle_

"And I hereby claim Clonmel O'Cetlic guilty." The king's voice rang through the room. The silence following the statement was tense. The accused man growled and pulled against his restrains, obviously angered.

_ "You can't do this! You're wrong!" Clonmel's deep voice was tipped with venom. The king of Dreamland shook his head._

_ "You are banished for the rest of my reign. Should you return before then, no remorse will be shown. If you choose to return after I have passed, you will be kept on a close watch."_

_ "You'll pay! You hear me? You'll regret this, damn you!"_

_Twenty years later, Dreamland_

Meta smiled and clutched his sketchbook close to his chest. _The land is beautiful in Dreamland! It's so similar to home it's astonishing! _

He glanced of into the distance, spotting smoke from a town. The blue-haired Castian placed the old book in his bag and whistled, a galloping soon followed. Not long after a large black mare burst through the bushes of the forest as she halted to a stop.

She reared and neighed, her wild mane flowing in the gentle breeze. The feathering around her hooves flew back and forth with every movement of her powerful legs. She put her front legs to the ground and huffed, nudging her head into the traveler's shoulder.

Meta smiled once again and patted the mare's neck. "Hola Shadow." He backed away from the nudging horse. Running a hand through her mane, he mounted the powerful beast.

Placing a hand in the wild mess of a mane. "Nir." He urged Shadow forward. Despite the fact that there was no saddle or bridle, the Castian rode with ease. It didn't take long to reach the town.

XxX

The word 'Het' was spoken and the mare halted in her headlong charge. Meta dismounted and signaled for Shadow to follow. Said horse huffed and shook her head, following her master.

"Halt! State your name and business." A buff-looking guard said, holding out his hand for dramatic effect.

"My name is Meta. I am a traveler, just looking for a place to stay for a bit. One can only camp out for so long with out starting to get worried about something happening." The shorter man reassured that he was no threat.

"Fine you can go in, but cause any trouble and I'll drag you into the prison myself."

"Of course, sir." Meta nodded and motioned for Shadow to follow once again. As the black mare passed the two guards standing at the gate, the one who had stayed silent the whole conversation went wide-eyed. The horse had red eyes. _Glowing_ red eyes.

Meta gestured for Shadow to stop following. "Stay out of trouble." He said, giving her permission to wander around town. The Castian walked to the inn.

XxX

"Hello, welcome to _The Bannered Stallion_. Do you need anything?" The woman behind the counter asked, a warm smile present on her kind face.

"I need a place to stay for a couple days. How much for a room?" Meta asked, his silver eyes glazed with no emotion.

"Ten gold each day."

"Here." The Castian said, handing over fifty gold.

"Thank you. Your room is the second on the left."

Meta nodded his thanks and turned away.

"Wait," The woman's voice called from behind. Meta turned once again. "This is starting to bother me, but, are you blind?"

The blue-haired Castian looked confused for a few seconds before realizing what she meant. His eyes where silver, almost gray, and they where blank, no pupil could be seen. Many people thought he was blind.

"No, I'm not blind."

"Oh, Sorry."

"It's fine, many people think the same." He said with a smile.

XxX

Time passed quickly as Meta sat silently, drawing a sketch of the inn in his book. The picture captured how lively the place was. People stood all over, laughing and the bard, Galacta, singing in front of a group. Everything looked so real, too.

The blue-haired man yawned and closed the small book. He closed his eyes, giving them a few seconds to rest in their tired state, and he stood. He stumbled forward as his knee pulsed in pain from an old wound and he bumped into something… no, someone.

Large hands grasped at his shirt tightly, pulling him off the ground. "Watch where you're going, milk drinker." Meta opened his eyes and saw the offender. The Ironcladian man was easily about double his height. He had dark black hair and red-brown eyes. The shadow of a beard could be seen on his chin.

"I'm sorry, sir, I had my eyes closed at the time. A thousand pardons." Meta said.

"Well maybe you should have had your eyes open moron." The man growled, pushing the younger man back. Once again, he bumped into someone.

"I am terribly sorry, sir. It won't happen again." He didn't even flinch when the man raised a fist.

"Oh, I _know_ it won't happen again."

The fist swung at Meta. The Castian ducked down, causing it to fly right over his head and slam into the wall. The man yelled in pain and Meta knocked his feet out from under him. The Ironcladian man yelled in pain as his body thudded painfully against the wooden floor.

Upon hearing the man go down, two other burly Ironcladians joined in. One was another man, the other a woman.

"Bad move, runt." The woman said.

"How 'bout we teach you a lesson?"

"Come on, let's be sensible here." Meta held his hands up defensively.

The others ignored him and charged, daggers drawn. Meta braced himself for what was to come… it never came. He opened his eyes, two guards where fighting them off.

When the brawl was over, Meta breathed a sigh of relief. "Gracias, I thought I was done for." He said, a hand on his chest.

The guards turned towards him. "Put your hands up and walk over here, _slowly_." The taller one commanded.

Meta did as told. The guard grasped his wrists and bound them with leather. "Q-que?"

"Sorry, but I don't speak French."

"It's Spanish…"

XxX

**Hi, Galaticx Knight here! I would like to thank you for reading and I hope you will continue your support. If you are a 'His Hidden Secrets' fan then you're probably thinking 'Why is she writing a new story when that one hasn't been updated in ages?' Well I am kind of really debating what the Blackstar to do with that and truthfully I don't think I will last much longer on this website. I might change it into a little drabble thing, but only the Great Dragon knows at this point.**

** If you're not a HHS fan then I thank you for tuning into my stories for the first time! :)**


	2. Prison Gates

** Thank you Feline-Overlord for being the first reviewer!**

**Locking Up the Sun**

**Chapter Two~ Prison Gates**

Meta looked towards the night sky, the moon reflecting off his gold eyes. The darkness of night forced his eyes into their glowing state. When it's dark something switches his eye color to gold instead of silver. No one can understand why, it just happens.

A screeching and a small dragon flew over Meta's head. It was dark blue; it's yellow-orange eyes glowing so lightly. It's small wings expanded as it glided in the gentle winter breeze. It was just so _free_, and Meta wanted to be free like the little Midnight Dragon.

The Castian took a glance at his bonds. He tugged against them… to no avail. _This sucks_. He was about to try again when one of the guards turned around to look at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing…"

The other guard pushed him forward, causing the short Castian to fall down. He landed painfully on his wounded knee and winced as he stood. Meta didn't show any other sign of pain, he just walked forward.

XxX

"Is there a good reason why you are bothering His Majesty so late at night?" Escargoon growled at the two guards. He glanced at the traveler behind them. _He's weird looking. I wander what race he is…_

"What is going on out here?" A man dressed in red nightclothes stepped from the room behind Escargoon. He was tall with dark blue hair, amber eyes, and was slightly on the chubby side.

"Your Majesty."

The taller guard, the one who pushed Meta, grabbed said Castian and held him out in front. "This traveler got into a fight at the inn. What should we do with him, King Dedede?"

Dedede looked at Meta. "There are no signs of a scuffle on him."

"It was a fist fight, he dodged the man and knocked his feet out from under him."

"That makes sense." The king looked at Meta, who in turn looked at the floor. "What is your name?"

"I am Meta Lyle O'Cetlic."

XxX

** O.O Bet you weren't expecting that! Sorry to cute this short, but it seemed like the perfect place to stop the chapter. I'll have the next up soon!**


	3. Lost in the Echo

**Locking Up the Sun**

**Chapter Three~ Lost in the Echo**

**Remember,**** Every time someone reviews a dragon learns to fly! Help those little baby dragons, please? **

"O'Cetlic?" Dedede's expression would have been hilarious had the atmosphere not been so serious. Meta guessed the guards where shocked too, under their helmets.

"Yes, what about it?" The Castian didn't understand what was going on.

"What was your father's name?" Escargoon asked in place of the king.

"Clonmel, but I don't get what that has to do with anything."

The four other men all huddled up to each other and spoke in hushed tones. Meta really couldn't make out what any of them where saying. _What's going on?_

"Clonmel had a son?"

"He doesn't seem to be anything like his father."

"That could be an act. Clonmel was highly deceiving, that trait could have been passed to his son."

"He doesn't even look like Clonmel." They all glanced at Meta. He had shoulder-length navy blue hair. His eyes where silver and blank, no expression could be seen. Clonmel had short dark green hair and his eyes where brown.

"He could have always taken after his mother, we never even knew Clonmel was in love with anyone."

They all turned back towards the Castian, their conversation over. The men where obviously confused.

"So, Meta, how old are you anyway?"

"I don't see what this has to do with anything, but I'm nineteen."

"Where are you from?"

"Graystar, eleven stars from here."

"What part of the land did you grow up in?'

"Northern part of Whiteriver Hold. My family runs a ranch and Father's a blacksmith."

Dedede nodded and turned to the guards. "Watch over him and make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble. Let him go." The two men that had been addressed removed the leather binds around said Castian's wrists.

XxX

Meta sat outside the inn, petting Shadow's muzzle. He ran his hand down her soft coat and looked off into the distance. Shadow sensed her master's distress and nudged her head into his shoulder, careful not to push him over.

The blue-haired man smiled and hugged the horse. She huffed at him and nipped his hair, earning a slight laugh. He pushed the horse playfully and stood. Shadow nipped at his hair once again and trotted off down the village road. In the early morning few people were out of their houses and the ones who were quickly moved out of the way of the intimidating horse. Meta followed close to the mare, careful not to bump into anyone or anything.

"Pok tenpiswo, mrth ve." Meta commanded in his native language, known as the Language of the Dragons. Shadow Mare listened to her master and turned to follow him. The young Castian headed for the gate that lead to outside of the village. He turned back to the horse and placed a hand on her muzzle.

"It is obvious that I am not welcome or wanted here. I should leave before something happens."

"**You are never welcome. You are just an outcast that no one likes. Everyone hates you, even yourself.**" A dark and foreboding voice echoed inside his head.

"_Please ignore him, you are not like that. He lies to you._" A soft, kind voice said, not wanting Meta to feel bad.

"**Shut up Awai, no one listens to you.**"

"_Why do you want Meta to hurt himself like he used to? Why are you always so cruel to him Daaku?_"

"**I want everyone to feel pain and suffering. Simple as that.**"

"Daaku, Awai, please. I do not need you two arguing in my head the rest of my life!" Meta complained, each word growing louder. His voice attracted the attention of nearby guards, who stared at him as if insane. "Um, sorry. Just thinking out loud." Meta bowed his head in apology and turned to his horse. Mouthing words to the black mare he mounted. The Castian opened his mouth, about to give the horse a command, when someone called out to him.

"Wait! Please, wait!"

Meta turned back, looking for the source of the voice. Galacta, the bard from the inn, was running towards him. His magenta hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and it quickly slipped from its binds as the Cathican ran towards the other man. When he finally reached the Castian he bent over, his hands on his knees as he breathed heavily.

"You waited? Wow, that's the first time anyone has listened to me. Thank you."

Meta looked at him in question. "You didn't expect me to wait? Why try then?"

"Never hurt to try I guess. Plus I need to tell you something important."

"I'm listening." Meta motioned for the other to continue speaking.

"Well you see, there's no reason to leave just because you got in trouble. The guards are always harsh on outsiders. Also I heard the language you spoke to the horse with, that's the Dragon Language is it not?" Just a nod was the other's answer. "You must be from the Homeland then. You can help us! Dragons are really causing a problem around here, please help." Galacta had red eyes, just like Daaku, but they held a caring compassion inside, not a sadistic and hateful gleam. That was probably what compelled Meta to answer the way he did.

"Alright, I'll help. Is there a place we can talk? I'm not just going to march out there knowing nothing on this dragon." Galacta's eyes brightened up with a sense of hope.

"Thank you, thank you! A thousand times thank you!" Meta chuckled at the other's enthusiasm. (Well, enthusiasm was an understatement) "We can talk at my house, follow me."

XxX

"Alright, so what do you need to know about the dragon?" Galacta asked, taking a seat. He motioned for Meta to sit down as well. The Castian hesitated before taking up the offer.

"We can start with the breed. In this part of the land there are only four types of dragons, two of which will actually attack or terrorize a human village. Those two dragons are called Two-Winged Mountain Dragons or Long-Fang Tundra Dragons.

"Two-Winged Mountain Dragons, better known as Crusher Dragons, have small wings rarely used for flying. They live up in mountain forests or caves, hence their names. They like to crush rocks and trees to show off strength when competing for a mate. The males are usually larger than the females and are more common to be brown or black. Females are considerably smaller and are often mistaken for the peaceful Forest Dragon. They are green with brown fur that runs down their spine. Both genders always have orange eyes. They fight with their fangs and large claws. They will also use their wings to batter or confuse enemies.

"Long-Fang Tundra Dragons are around the same size as female Crusher Dragons. They have large wings and often take to the skies to hunt. They have long lower fangs but normal sized top fangs, this often gives them an Orcish appearance. They rarely use their short claws to fight as they rely on their teeth. The males have a tendency to annoy villages around Mating Season, no one really knows why. Both genders are around the same size and can be the same colors; the way to tell them apart is by their tails. Males have clubs or spades on the tip of their tails while females have a tuft of fur or just a bare tail.

"Judging by the position of your village it is most likely a Long-Fang, but I've been proven wrong before."

Galacta looked at Meta in surprise. "What are you, the Dragon Whisperer?"

"I wish."

The Cathican sighed. "I'm not even going to ask. Anyway, the dragon sounded a lot like a Crusher Dragon…? It looked like a male one."

"Alright, were did you see him?"

"Down towards the path to the Capital. He took one look at me and charged, if my brother hadn't been there I'd be a dead man."

"When he charged did he lower his head as if trying to ram you with his horns?" Galacta nodded. "Then it was defiantly a Crusher Dragon. I can handle him, just need to find his nest and then…."

"_**DRAGON!" **_

A guard's voice rang throughout the quiet village, waking everyone. A bell tolled over and over, the racket could wake the dead. (**That would be awesome. **Sush Daaku)

"Or he could just come here. That makes everything so much easier."

XxX

Meta and Galacta quickly exited the house, the latter hiding behind the shorter man. The dragon before them, literally right before them, was _breathtaking_. (Just not in the good way)

The dragon was _huge_. He towered over the buildings by at least a good three feet (making him around twenty-three feet). He had dark black scaling that shone like onyx in the early sunlight. The gray plating on his neck was rounded out like smooth pebbles, the scaling much in the same fashion. He had a well-muscled body and was obviously not a juvenile; it was a fully-grown adult. He had tiger like paws with claws that extended a foot past the skin. The horns atop his head reached out three feet and two inches, obviously used for stabbing the way that they were spaced. Small 'thorns', pieces of bone that reached out above the eyes, were about an inch or two. Below the thorns were red, blazing eyes with slit pupils that made him look cruel and unforgiving.

The problem was, that wasn't a Crusher Dragon and it defiantly wasn't a Long-Fang. It was a Black Dragon, the most aggressive breed of dragon in the universe. An even bigger problem, that dragon was Meta's Father's envoy, Ravis. Ravis was not a nice dragon. Ravis was one of those dragons that would kill for no reason. Ravis was hard to tame. Ravis was a _disaster. _And Meta had a hard time controlling the Black Dragon. Ravis probably wouldn't even remember the Castian, as they hadn't seen one another in eight years.

A guard, Meta wasn't sure if he was brave or foolish, charged at the dragon. Ravis just lowered his head, the guard skewered onto his horn. The dragon pushed the body off with his massive paw, lapping at the blood that stained his padding with a sadistic look in his eyes. The actions of the dragon caused the guards to falter, obviously they didn't want to mess with the male Black Dragon. However, Meta did.

The Castian approached Ravis, ignoring Galacta's pleas. Meta held out his hands, reaching out towards the dragon. Ravis, all attention focused on the blood, didn't see the young man coming towards him. He finally realized when something touched his face and ran over the smooth scales.

Ravis roared, rearing away, and brought his head down to bite whatever it was. His head stopped mid-motion. His eyes widened as he felt the hand traveling down the neck plating, curling up into a pressure point at the tenth plate from his chest. Ravis lowered his head down, how dare that intruder! He interrupted his meal and prodded his pressure spot! The dragon went to bite again when he felt the hand on his paw. Why did that feel familiar?

Memories flooded back at him. A blue-haired child, silver eyes meting his own red ones, a small hand on his paw, a baby being held by his master's mate, the child hugging him, someone on his back, and finally…

_A pack of Luthen Dragons surrounded me. They bit me, laughed at me. They hit me again and again with their tails and claws. I would not give. I promised my master to protect and protect I shall. The child hiding under me whimpered. He pressed against my neck plating as he tried to get further away from the attackers. _

"_Troth si nishka!" I yelled, slamming my tail down. It crushed one dragon. "Troth si nishka!" I rammed my head against another dragon, killing it. I pounded my paws down onto another two. The last dragon yipped and ran away. _

"_Troth si nishka." I said as I nuzzled the child, my cub. He hugged me the best he could, his small arms wrapped around my muzzle. He let go and placed his hand on my paw._

"_Home?" He asked me. I nodded and let him onto my back. Home. We come home, Master. I protected him, the cub. I protected my cub… your cub. He is safe, like I promised Master. Safe. Safe. Safe._

"Troth si nishka…" Ravis said, his voice deep and rugged. He nuzzled into Meta. "I protect…" His voice rumbled the ground. Meta wrapped his arms around his muzzle.

"Just like back then."

"Safe."

Meta nodded. "Safe." Meta reached back, motioning to the village. "Safe. Village is nice. People are nice. Remember, just like Breakaway."

Ravis nodded. "Just like Break…"

Galacta walked carefully to Meta. "How'd you…?"

"Let's just say old friends, new land."

XxX

**And this concludes Chapter 3. I actually wanted to make this two chapters but it just didn't look right. Sorry its so ridiculously long (Not like anyone reads my stories anyway…) Ravis repeats Troth si nishka a lot in this. It means Protect I shall in Dragon Language. I might post a picture of him on my Deviantart profile if anyone requests me to do so. (By might, I mean I will) This isn't a filler chapter. Ravis actually is very important to the story. You'll see how eventually. This might get a little bit of Galacta x Meta fluff. And don't worry, Daaku and Awai and Meta won't be the same person for too much longer, maybe next chapter. I'll spoil that much for you. I'd really enjoy a review right now, come on help a sick (and slightly depressed) author out! Your reviews keep me happy and more willing to write a chapter. Every time someone reviews a dragon learns to fly! Help those little baby dragons, please? **


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